I have just filed a request for the Ontario Human Rights Commission to initiate a public interest inquiry into the dangers presented by a removal of Covid-19 protections.
A copy of my letter is below. 🧵
To file a similar request, contact legal@ohrc.on.ca
1/19
A copy of my letter is below. 🧵
To file a similar request, contact legal@ohrc.on.ca
1/19
Dear OHRC team,
As you are no doubt aware, Ontario has recently revised its public health guidance regarding protections for the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
/2
As you are no doubt aware, Ontario has recently revised its public health guidance regarding protections for the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
/2
The removal of protections puts Ontarians with disabilities at elevated risk of illness and long-term harm from acute infection ("Long Covid" or, within the medical literature, "post-acute sequelae of Covid").
/3
/3
This heightened risk of exposure leaves Ontarians with disabilities, and their families, with an untenable compromise.
/4
/4
Either they restrict their access to the full range of services which are provided for under the Human Rights Code - as well as participation in employment and education - ...
/5
/5
...or they participate without appropriate medical accommodation to make those activities safe, thereby risking their very health and safety.
/6
/6
The United States Centre for Disease Control has estimated that 1 in 5 American adults will develop long-term disability ("Long Covid") following an acute Covid-19 infection.
/7
/7
Public access reports from Public Health Ontario and Health Canada suggest a similar pattern applies to Canadian children and adults.
/8
/8
Unfortunately, although vaccination is highly effective at preventing severe acute illness and hospitalization, its protectiveness against Long Covid is limited (a 15% risk reduction found in the journal Nature).
/9
/9
As such, non-pharmaceutical community interventions are a necessary component of risk reduction - including high-quality (N95-type) masking, quarantining, and enhanced ventilation - to allow equal participation by people with disabilities and their families.
/10
/10
As of September 1, 2022, the following dangerous conditions characterize the daily lived experience of Ontarians with disabilities, under the leadership of Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore:
/11
/11
Allowing symptomatic, Covid+ individuals to circulate in the community if their symptoms have improved in the last 24 hours. Current research from the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that individuals who contract Covid-19 can remain infectious beyond 15 days.
/12
/12
No mandatory masking (particularly of effective N95-type respirators) in congregate and high-risk settings, such as schools, hospitals, medical facilities, pharmacies, and long-term care homes.
/13
/13
Disbanding of the Ontario Covid Science Table, which provides regional monitoring on case counts and local risk data, from which individuals make informed risk decisions.
/14
/14
In consideration of these facts, I wish to request that the OHRC launch a Commission-initiated application and inquiry into the harms of the current public health policy regarding Covid-19 as concerns Ontarians with disabilities.
/15
/15
Earning a living, attending school, accessing medical care and the necessities of life - these should not be life-threatening activities for people with disabilities and their families.
Thank you for considering this request.
/16
Thank you for considering this request.
/16
3. New England Journal of Medicine - Covid 19 infectious period
nejm.org/doi/full/10.10…
4. Nature - 15% reduced risk of Long Covid from vaccination
nature.com/articles/d4158…
/19
nejm.org/doi/full/10.10…
4. Nature - 15% reduced risk of Long Covid from vaccination
nature.com/articles/d4158…
/19
Everyone is welcome to use this letter to file their own request of OHRC at: legal@ohrc.on.ca
Remember: the pen is mightier than the Ford. 💪
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
